Impractical Magic
by Les Dilettantes
Summary: Abandoned. Sorry. Harry Potter likes girls with a certain style and charm. That is, girls he can go out with in public. Certainly not ones with radishes in their ears. And yet... HPLL
1. The Gwyllion

**Disclaimer: All characters are the property of JK Rowling. We own nothing.   
  
A/N: **This story is yet another collaboration between Sarah and Alex, who live in different countries but still like to write stories together. We really like this story, and if it gets a bit of feedback, we'll continue it! One more thing: If you really wish to know, Sarah writes the parts with long paragraphs, and is also the beta for the story. Alex writes everything else, which in this case, is a lot. Okay, on with the story!

-  
  
**Chapter One: The Mysterious "Gwyllion"  
**  
The rain poured down on Hogwarts, drenching everything in its path. It streamed down the walls, gathered in the gutters, pooled on the leaves of the trees. It pattered on the rooftops, creating the only sound in the otherwise eerily silent night. It pounded against the window of a room high up in a tower, causing shadows to dance phantom-like across the room. For one instant, the moon shone through a break in the clouds, illuminating the room's sole occupant; a pale boy, tossing and turning violently in his sleep.  
  
The boy known as Harry Potter gasped in his sleep. His godfather stood before, looking as healthy and alive as Harry had ever seen him. "_Harry, it's me!" Sirius cried, "Come to me," Harry nodded eagerly. Sirius was alive again! "Harry, I escaped! I'm alive!" Sirius shouted, running swiftly towards Harry with open arms.  
  
To his horror, his dream self picked up his wand and pointed it at Sirius' heart. "Avada Kedavra!" he cried shrilly. Harry watched disbelievingly as a jet of poisonous green light shot out of his wand, and hit Sirius in the heart. His godfather's body went limp, and crashed through the veil; lost to Harry once more. His dream self began laughing, a high, uncontrollable, maniacal laugh filled with triumph and insanity. A **woman's** laugh.  
  
Filled with dread, Harry glanced in a nearby mirror. A deathly pale face looked back at him, heavy-lidded eyes glinted mockingly while red, red, lips curled into a sardonic smile. He was Bellatrix Lestrange. He had killed Sirius. He was the one responsible for his death.  
_  
_Then, the dream changed. He was in the Gryffindor common room, and he wasn't alone. Silky-soft arms encircled his neck, and warm lips were pressed to his. Gentle endearments were murmured in his ear. Harry closed his eyes, enjoying the sensations the person created in his body. Suddenly, cold steel was plunged into his back. His scar erupted with pain, contrasting vividly with the numbness in his body. Blood gushed out of the wound, drenching the carpets. Harry noted with some detachment that he was dying. His vision dulled with pain, Harry gazed into the eyes of his attacker; the one he had just kissed. They would have been beautiful eyes, large and thickly lashed, except for the pure hatred and evil that lurked in their liquid depths.  
  
_ _Suddenly, the eyes narrowed, to slits. The corruption within them became more and more pronounced as the irises turned vividly crimson. He was looking into the eyes of Voldemort. Insane, cackling laughter filled his ears, as the ache in his scar intensified. Through his haze of pain, he could just make out a voice shrieking, "The plans have been set! The boy will die!"  
_  
Then everything went black.  
  
Harry Potter shot upright, clutching his scar as though afraid that it would burst. His breath came in quick, short, gasps, as he stared fearfully across the room, half-expecting to see Voldemort in front of him.  
  
Slowly, his frantically beating heart slowed, as he realized that his experience had only been a nightmare. Sinking back down into his pillows, Harry desperately tried to recall the details of the dream. Voldemort had been in it, of course. 'That isn't exactly a new development.' Harry thought wryly. No...there had been something else. There had been a person- a girl- who had kissed him, and then murdered him. "Is that a warning?" Harry pondered aloud, and then immediately dismissed the thought. "Foretelling the future" was mostly rubbish, anyway, and he didn't even have the Sight. Probing further into his dream, he realized that...Sirius was in it. Harry was hit by a wave of nausea as the full details of the encounter came back to him. How could he have even _dreamed_ about that? What did the dream even mean?  
  
Sighing, he leaned his forehead against the cool glass of the window, blearily staring at the falling drops of rain outside. Could he talk to Ron or Hermione about the dream?  
  
_"Hermione! You're worse than mum! Bloody Hell!"_ came a shout from the Common Room. More yelling and scuffling followed.  
  
Harry groaned, banging his head against the window out of sheer frustration.  
  
His best friends could be so dense! They were at it again, fighting in the Common Room about silly things just to conceal their attraction for one another, which had become painfully obvious that year. No, there would be no point in going to them at that hour, as they would be too taken up with each other.  
  
He picked up the ornate silver jug that rested on the windowsill and splashed water on his face, his eyes closing momentarily.  
  
When he opened his eyes, he stared pensively at the lake, watching as the rain created soft ripples against its surface.  
  
Lightning lit up the sky, making the landscape glow eerily. In the dim light, Harry noticed a cloaked figure prowling the grounds.  
  
Immediately suspicious, Harry quickly flung his Invisibility Cloak around himself, plunging his hand into his pocket in search of his wand. He ran down the steps leading to the Common Room, not bothering to be stealthy.  
  
Hermione noticed the sounds coming from the stairs and looked up, concern evident in her face.  
  
Harry suppressed a snort, _'Now they notice! Why don't we all drop what we're doing and protect delicate Harry Potter!'_ he thought to himself bitterly.  
  
Ignoring her concern, Harry strode towards the main doors that led to the Hogwarts grounds. He quickly reached the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest.  
  
"_Lumos_" he muttered, pointing his wand towards where he had last seen the figure. It was gone.  
Determinedly, he scanned the Forest, searching for any traces of the mysterious apparition.  
  
There it was!  
  
The cloak clung to the figure like a second skin, accentuating the curves of its body; revealing, much to Harry's surprise, that the figure was female.  
  
The hooded figure looked up at him, and produced a thin silver knife from its sleeve.  
  
"_Bellatrix_," he rasped out, eyes narrowing, his breaths coming out ragged and shallow.  
  
The woman clutched the blade tighter when she saw Harry approach.  
  
And before he could reach her, he found the knife firmly placed in front of his face, barely touching his nose.  
  
He held his breath, thinking that surely this would be the end, when the knife was hastily lowered and thrown on the ground and the hood of the traveling cloak was pulled back to reveal the pale face of..._Luna Lovegood.  
_  
Harry let out his held breath in a long sigh, and looked back up at Luna, relieved beyond measure.  
  
"Oh Harry! I thought you were a Gwyllion!!!" she said in that vague voice she possessed, looking up at him with a far off look, as if caught in a dream.  
  
"A w-w-what?" he stammered, vaguely wondering how she could see through his Invisibility Cloak.  
  
He then realized it had slipped off his shoulders on the edge of the lake when he made his first step towards 'Bellatrix'. "_Accio_ Invisibility Cloak!" he shouted, laughing with relief as it flew towards him. Luna laughed along with him. Their laughter mingled pleasantly and seemed to brighten the gloomy atmosphere.  
  
"What are you doing out here in the pouring rain, Luna?" Harry asked, motioning her underneath the sheltering branches of a nearby weeping willow.  
  
"Marietta Edgecombe and Cho Chang said that the Quibbler was rubbish, and that there are no such thing as Gwyllions, but I know there are, Harry! I had one as a guest last Christmas and she was fairly nice to me." She protested, sliding down the trunk of the willow.  
  
Happy that the weeping willow prevented them from getting soaked and concealed them from view, Harry slid down to the ground next to her.  
  
He couldn't quite explain why, but the presence of the odd Ravenclaw comforted Harry for some reason, despite her eccentricities..   
  
"And?" he prompted, staring at her pale blue eyes expectantly.  
  
"And when I told them that they told me to get one and show it back...so here I am!" she replied happily, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.  
  
Harry felt his blood boil with anger at the elder Ravenclaw girls.  
  
They knew Luna would take their teasing literally, and they did it nevertheless! Looking back, Harry could hardly believe that he had once had a crush on one of them.  
  
"Luna...what is a Gwilly-thing anyways?" he asked, sighing contentedly as her head rolled sleepily onto his shoulder.  
  
"It's a cross between a fairy and a house elf, but it's not as attractive as fairies and they're about your size and its sole purpose is to mislead travelers and cause mischief. It only comes out of its lair in the pouring rain," she said fondly, with a yawn.  
  
Harry couldn't help but snigger at her oddities, "And how does that explain the knife?" he said amusedly.  
  
If Luna caught the condescending note in his question, she ignored it, as her tone of voice didn't change and her face remained serene and still.  
  
"The only way to stop them from hurting you is by pointing a knife directly at them!" she supplied helpfully.  
  
Harry's mouthy made an "O," and he looked away hastily whilst folding the invisibility cloak into the pocket of his robe.  
  
"So...how was erm, Christmas??" Harry asked tentatively.  
  
Christmas had passed by two weeks earlier, but he hadn't gotten much time to talk to Luna since then. He frequently saw her in the D.A., but with his teaching most of the castle (the D.A. members had tripled in number), he couldn't exactly fish her out and establish a conversation.  
  
However, once the question was out of his mouth the conversation flown wonderfully. As they chatted on about various subjects, Harry was pleasantly surprised to learn how fascinating Luna was, once one got to know her.  
  
They began talking about the last Quiddich match between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, in which Luna had surprised everyone by playing Chaser.  
  
"I saw that Bludger hit your head," she informed him, taking no notice of his wince.  
  
"Yeah...hurt like hell!" he said, watching her cheeks tinge pink, the dreamy expression never leaving her face.  
  
"So, why are you out so late??" she finally asked, looking up at him.  
  
Harry bit his lip.  
  
_ Should he tell her?  
_  
"Well I was having this awful dream about Sirius," Harry said, taking in a deep breath, and related the entire episode to her. "When I woke up I tried telling Ron and Hermione about it, but they were having a fight, as usual and didn't even hear me!" he concluded, and winced at the whiny nature of that last comment.  
  
Luna shifted next to him, and Harry felt her hand slip into his as her head left his shoulder.  
  
"They'll come around eventually, Harry," she stated, giving him an odd smile. Then, her smile brightened. "Friends?" she asked quietly, her eyes never leaving his. Harry grinned. _Why not? _"Friends." he repeated, strangely enjoying the feel of her hand in his. She then rose, giving his hand a last squeeze as she did so.  
  
He shot her a confused look. Why was she leaving? "It has stopped raining," she explained, waiting for Harry to get to his feet. Nodding, he got to his feet as well, falling into step with her as they made their way towards the castle.  
  
Upon reaching the Entrance Hall, they said their good byes and went their separate ways. Harry slowly traipsed towards Gryffindor Tower, deep in thought, not noticing that he was out after curfew. Soon, he reached the portrait of the Fat Lady.  
  
With a sigh of relief, he bounded towards the portrait, his Invisibility Cloak tucked under his arm, only to stop dead as a voice came from behind him. "Mr. Potter, I do hope you have a good explanation for this!"  
  
Harry whirled around, only to come face to face with none other than Professor Minerva McGonagall.  
  
-  
**A/N:** That's all for now! Please review, and tell us how you felt about the story. Thanks!


	2. The Girl Next Door

**Disclaimer: **All characters and situations are the property of JK Rowling.

**A/N:** (_Dumbfounded stares)_ Whoa... We didn't think that we'd get THAT many reviews! We were expecting along the lines of...say, one or two. To all those people who begged us to update, we're extremely sorry for not updating for over a month, we really are. Real life just got in the way. We want to give a big thank you to **Jennyroseangel**, who guilted us into finally updating. Also, we're just letting you know that we write for fun. We are by no means professional writers, although we try to have some quality in our writing. Have fun reading (we hope)! Alex 'n Sarah.

-

**Chapter Two: Chloe**

"To be quite honest, I don't, er, really have a good explanation exactly, Professor."

Harry bit his lip in frustration, idly wondering why he hadn't inherited his father's mischievous traits that Remus was always telling him about. He knew for a fact that he couldn't lie properly if his life depended on it. '_Call it a Gryffindor curse_...'

"Well, that just won't do, Potter. Thirty points from Gryffindor for wandering the halls after curfew with no valid excuse, and a week's worth of detention!" McGonagall barked moodily.

Sighing, Harry nodded, idly noticing how tired and old she looked at that moment.

Wisps of gray hair escaped her knot and fell across her weathered, wrinkled face as she gave Harry a look of deep disappointment. The suspicious lack of activity from Voldemort had left the members of the Order anxious, alert and irritable. _'But above all irritable,'_ Harry thought wryly as he remembered his summer holidays.

He had woken up after a nightmare, the normal kind, for once, and decided to quietly wander down to the kitchen for a glass of water. The incident that followed left Harry wishing he'd had stayed in bed. He startled Mad-Eye Moody, who had been lurking in the kitchen. Being the paranoid old codger that he was, Mad-Eye had sent off a false alarm telling of a Death Eater invasion. Ten stunners and an hour later Harry found he wasn't so thirsty after all...

"...Do you understand Potter?" McGonagall asked, peering at him through her spectacles.

Harry blinked and nodded again; he must have tuned out while she was talking. Talk about a bad night!

"I'm really sorry, Professor," he amended politely, missing the softened look the weary Transfiguration professor shot his way once his back was turned.

Sighing dejectedly, Minerva McGonagall made her way towards her lonely personal chambers, muttering soft curses about poor idiot boys with only half a brain to restrain them. Once again, she thought about retiring in Jamaica, and then quickly dismissed the thought. Her old bones ached and her head was pounding, but she wouldn't trade her job for all the Mai Tai's in the world.

"Oy, what's that, mate?" Ron inquired over his scrambled eggs and bacon, spluttering some of it over Harry's own breakfast as Hermione read over his shoulder. Harry winced, trying to avoid looking at Ron's mouth. Honestly, the boy had appalling manners, even for a teenager!

"Detention slips, Ron," Harry replied tersely, shoving them into his pocket.

"Ooh, _what_ did you do?" Ron leered good-naturedly, wriggling his brows suggestively.

Harry rolled his eyes, just as Hermione opened her mouth to chastise them both. "_Honestly Ron_, don't you take your prefect duties into _any_ account what so ever? And Harry, you, of all people, should know that you shouldn't be getting into trouble like that! _Don't you to pay any mind to your duties at all?"_Hermione ranted shrilly.

Ron and Harry had the grace to look slightly sheepish as she continued to lecture them about the Importance of Rules in a Community and an Institution.

"And if you don't at least recognize the reason why they were established, then you're no better than Malfoy!" she concluded, looking rather pink in the face.

Ron nodded consolingly. He patted her hand as if he had been listening and then turned back to his food, but not before he had shot Harry a bewildered look. Harry snorted, but Hermione was too busy dabbing her eyes with her handkerchief to notice.

"What were you doing anyways, Harry?" she asked after composing herself.

"I don't want to talk about it," Harry replied stubbornly, then began wolfing down his food to keep his mouth occupied. He didn't quite know why he didn't want to tell Ron and Hermione about Luna, because there wasn't anything wrong with it...or her for that matter. But it felt rather nice to be doing something _alone, _separate from Ron and Hermione. Just as they would eventually develop a relationship with each other that would completely separate them from him.

"Oh come off it, you can tell _us_!" Ron insisted.

"Oh please, just because you're my best friends does not mean you have to know everything I do!" Harry had said it much more coldly than he'd intended, but frustration would do that to a person. _Especially_ Harry, seeing as the boy took frustration quite badly.

"Well, you don't have to be that way Harry!" Hermione snapped, looking hurt.

"Yeah! Point taken, Harry!" Ron chimed in, clearly distressed.

Harry couldn't help but groan in frustration. "Look, I didn't mean it like that, honest! I just want to keep this one to myself for a bit, okay?" He eyed them both wearily, satisfied with his response...even if his mates _weren't_.

"_Fine, _Harry**_," _**they replied icily as they stared at their plates with an air of great concentration.

Harry sighed, pushing his plate away moodily. He was never one for drama, but he found himself losing his appetite nonetheless. He stood up, muttering excuses about the weather being perfect for a nice _long_ walk. Not even bothering to hear the answer, Harry stormed out of the Great Hall.

He strode in the direction of the grounds, anger pulsing though him. He faintly heard Ron and Hermione's voices behind him, and picked up his pace, turning quickly into a dark corridor. Satisfied that he had lost them, he thought about slowing down; only to violently collide with a figure going in the opposite direction.

Muttering a hasty apology, Harry prepared to leave. He casually glanced at girl he had hit.

All thoughts of leaving immediately flew out of his mind. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.

He watched worshipfully as the girl shook her head vigorously, her golden-brown curls bouncing on her thin shoulders.

'_The color of honey,' _Harry thought vaguely, then mentally smacked his forehead, '_Really, I'm starting to sound just like those romance novels that Hermione pretends to not read!'_

The girl looked around quizzically for her glasses, which had been dislodged during the fray. She finally found them in a corner of the hall, and perched them once again on her nose. Harry suddenly found small, perky noses to be absolutely adorable.

"Who are you?" she demanded, shifting slightly away from him.

Harry then realized that he had been staring stupidly at her for the last five minutes. He blushed, and surreptitiously wiped a trail of drool from his chin.

"I'm, um, Harry. Harry Potter," he said, and steeled himself for the inevitable reaction that came with the statement.

The girl's large gray eyes widened momentarily, then she smiled shyly at him. "I'm Chloe," she said, "I just became a student here."

Harry grinned back at her, "Welcome to Hogwarts, Chloe." He frowned as a sudden thought struck him. "Wait, I didn't think that Hogwarts accepted transfer students..." He trailed off, looking at her with new suspicion.

Chloe's smile faded for an instant, and then reappeared. "I was privately tutored," she explained easily, "but this year, my mother wanted me to have more social interaction. My father wasn't very happy about it, but he spoke to Dumbledore, and he agreed to let me enter the 6th year here." She looked down, realizing that her books were scattered all over the place, and began picking them up, "I was sorted into Ravenclaw," she added, almost as an afterthought.

Harry scrambled to help her. "It must be rather difficult for you, coming into Hogwarts like this," he said, casually brushing his hand over hers as he handed her a book.

If she noticed his not-so-subtle move, she gave no indication of it, "It is," she agreed, "I have absolutely no idea where anything is! I spent over an hour looking for the Advanced Transfiguration classroom and somehow ended up in 3rd Year Arithmancy instead. Professor McGonagall wasn't very pleased, I think." She straightened, looking at him wistfully.

Harry laughed. "Why don't I give you a little tour of the school?" he offered, gathering her books in his arms.

She flashed him a dazzling smile. "I'd love that," She placed her pale hand amicably on his arm. Harry tried to ignore the shivers passing through the aforementioned appendage. "Why don't you take me now?"

----

Blushing profusely, Harry led Chloe down to the library. "A-and this," said Harry, trying hard to sound bold and dramatic, "is the Hogwarts Librar-" He tripped on the staircase and fell flat on his face.

Despite his disorientated state, Harry heard Chloe giggling softly. He felt his ears burn with mortification. Then, gentle hands lifted him up and steadied him.

"Thank you," Harry said gratefully, and turned to face the person who had assisted him.

"Luna!" he said, blinking in surprise, "What are you doing here?"

Luna smiled at him vaguely. "I was going to the library to look up the date when Mars aligns with Venus and causes heavy rains," she answered.

"Is this about the Gwyllion, again?" Harry asked, smiling knowingly as Chloe tittered gently in the background.

"No," Luna said, unruffled, "Astronomy homework."

"Erm, right," Harry said, feeling idiotic. He then remembered that Chloe was there.

He took Luna's hand. "I'd like to introduce you to Chloe," he said, "Chloe, this is my good friend, Luna."

Luna nodded politely at Chloe. For a moment, an ugly look flickered across Chloe's face, and then was quickly replaced by yet another bright smile.

"Luna, I am _so_ pleased to meet you," she cried, her voice sugary sweet, "I'm sure that we will be the best of friends!"

She turned to face Harry, sweeping her honey-colored curls over her shoulder. "Harry, be a darling at wait for me in the Great Hall."

Harry nodded eagerly, and walked away. Luna saw him steal a glance at Chloe as he left, and felt a sharp twinge of something she could not name. She shook her head and tried to forget about it. Harry simply thought of her as _Loony_ Lovegood, nothing more.

The moment he left, Chloe shoved Luna roughly against a wall. "_You. Will stay. Away. From Harry_." she gritted, all pretenses of friendship gone, her face twisted into a mask of fury, "He is mine, do you understand? _Mine_!" She banged Luna's head against the stone for emphasis, panting heavily. Drawing back slightly, she visibly composed herself.

"Otherwise..." she trailed off, smiling poisonously, "I just might choose to _remove_ you from his company."

She let go of her captive abruptly. Chloe smoothed her hair and skirt, removing all traces of the encounter. After a final tweak of her glasses, she set off for the Great Hall, the very image of the sweet girl-next-door.

Luna silently watched her leave, all color drained from her face. Her bottle cap necklace clattered loudly as she crumpled to the ground.

**-TBC-  
-**

**Shout-Outs!**

**-----------**

**Rose**- Wow, we're flattered! We're glad that the characterization was okay. Thanks for being the first reviewer!  
  
**Petites Sorcires**- Merci! Alex ne parle pas français, mais Sarah le parle un peu. Nous espérons que vous continuerez à lire! (Sorry if we messed up the grammar, Sarah's only been taking French for a few years)  
  
**Charles Weatherby**- Thank you so much for reading this! Don't worry, we're still writing the other ones, albeit slowly. ; )  
  
**Evil Kelpy**- Il y a beacoup de personnes qui parlent français ici! Merci pour lire!  
  
**Tabitha78-** Thank you! We'll keep that in mind.  
  
**theQuibbleringQuibblerer**- Thanks! And we like your name!  
  
**Dragon Tears Wing-** Hm, are you sure that they're all bad? We've read some pretty good ones. Anyway, thanks for reading!  
  
**Affi-** Thank you!  
  
**Brittney- **Well, we're happy that someone thinks that we should keep writing. We were considering stopping for a while. Thanks!  
  
**Holly T-** Yeah, we like it too. We giggled like idiots while writing it.  
  
**Flower Powerer-** Yay, we've converted someone to Harry/Luna! Thanks for reading!  
  
**Jennyroseangel-** Like we said earlier, thanks for guilting us into updating! And you can call us Sarah and Alex. : )


	3. Crash and Burn

**Disclaimer: All characters and scenarios established are the property of JK Rowling. No profit is being made on this work**.

**A/N:** Gasp! We updated! Can you freakin' believe it? Sorry for the delay, but since Alex and I are being crushed with work this year we can hardly even get near the computer (except to work). Anyways, this chapter is dedicated to **Jennyroseangel,** simply because she seems to be forcing her friends to read our crap now. We're not sure whether we're wildly flattered, amused, or mildly disturbed. Or perhaps all three. ;) Hope you enjoy, and individual responses are at the end of the fic. One more thing: ignore the mild bit of clichéd sappy angstiness at the beginning of the fic. I had to include it. **Semi-Important Note:** If you really want to know, Sarah wrote the first half and Alex wrote the second.

-

**Chapter Three: Crash and Burn**

Luna gazed dreamily at the lake, her gray eyes staring mistily into its murky depths. She took several deep breaths, trying to empty her mind of her conflicting thoughts, just as the _jadigars _in India had taught her. Her father had taken her there to study yogic magic in the summer before her third year.

'_Control of thought and deed is everything'._

She closed her eyes, waiting for the familiar feeling of peace to wash over her. Instead, memories of startlingly green eyes and a rare but infectious laugh assailed her. She frowned, absentmindedly tugging at one of her lime green Fwooper-feather earrings, and concentrated again. The image of Harry James Potter remained stubbornly in her mind.

Luna bolted upright. She couldn't feel..._that_ way about she? After all he was just her friend, and he was with...Chloe.

A sigh misted from her lips and hung heavily in the frosty air. Harry would never believe that his precious Chloe was anything but perfect.

"Luna, you must have been dreaming again," Harry had told her laughingly, "The Chloe I know would never do something like that!" It was a painful, but nonetheless familiar scenario. Who would believe the word of Loony Lovegood over someone as physically flawless as Chloe Louise Cunningham?

'_Treat everything with calm acceptance. The trials and tribulations of life are inevitable.'_

'_I wonder what my mother would have thought if she were here,'_ she wondered vaguely, hugging herself as the chill in the air seemed to penetrate into her very bones. She stared unseeingly at the lake's calm waters once more.

"Luna! _Luna!_"

Her trance-like state abruptly ended as footsteps pounded on the frozen ground, heading in her direction. Scrambling hurriedly to her feet, she whirled around to find Harry, wearing a grin so large that it threatened to split his face.

Luna smiled back, unable to suppress a little shiver of delight as Harry grasped her arms and whirled her around.

"Luna, I have the most wonderful news!" he exclaimed as he set her back on her feet, blushing slightly as he realized what he had done. He paused, taking a deep breath. "I asked Chloe to the Ball on Valentine's Day...and she agreed to come with me." He smiled that wonderful smile at her again, full of hope and love. All for Chloe.

The final remnants of Luna's hope crumbled to dust. She nodded numbly, forcing a strained smile as Harry expounded upon the virtues of his new beloved. Her smile faltered as she fought her sudden strong desire to run away and curl into a corner. Impetuously, she hummed a lullaby that her mother used to sing to her when she was frightened, swaying along with the music.

Harry shook his head at her. '_Typical Luna', _he thought exasperatedly, _'Always so unaware of the world,_'

Seeing his pitying expression, Luna shook herself alert. "I'm v-very happy for you, Harry," she whispered, and stumbled away.

'_Show not your unhappiness in your words, thoughts, or actions. The world must never know of your true emotions.'_

--0—

"I wanna ride your broomstick, baby..." Chloe sang delightedly as she made her way towards the Owlery. She pirouetted on the landing of the stone steps. After weeks of careful planning, flirtatious glances, and 'casual' touches, Harry had finally succumbed to her charms.

The corner of her lips briefly lifted in a smirk as she thought of that Luna girl whom Harry had been with. That stringy-haired bitch hadn't stood a chance against her. It was almost pathetic, really.

She sobered as she entered the large, drafty Owlery at the top of the West Tower. Carefully, she picked her way towards the smallest window at the corner of the room, studiously avoiding the numerous droppings with a little moue of distaste.

She glanced at the night sky. Just a few more moments...

A shadow detached itself from the inky outlines of the trees and winged its way towards her. The shadow grew steadily larger as it neared the alcove, and an unusually large raven landed gracefully beside her, a small locket attached to its leg.

Chloe nodded tersely at the bird and quickly touched the locket with one manicured finger. She felt familiar pull behind her navel as she and the raven were transported to a secluded area at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. After looking around carefully, she nodded at the bird. The raven cawed once, then smoothly morphed into a hooded figure wearing black.

"Are you sure this is safe?" she hissed at the man, completely unruffled by the change, "Why couldn't we have simply met directly in the woods?"

The man shuffled nervously, "The Dark Lord has his own designs..." he muttered, eyes scanning the nearby area for intruders.

She snorted, but refrained from comment.

"How goes the operation?" the man asked abruptly, "The Dark Lord is getting impatient. Your position will suffer if this continues much longer."

"This is a very dangerous and difficult assignment!" she snapped back. She stepped closer, and her tone grew poisonously sweet. "The target is a foolish boy. Tell the Master that he shall have his revenge _very_ soon..." Her voice trailed off into a provocative whisper as she softly traced the curve of the man's unshaven cheek. The hooded figure gulped in response, unable to reply.

She stood back abruptly. "Where is the Portkey? I cannot stay any longer. That old fool of a Headmaster might become suspicious," she demanded.

The man tossed her the locket, and Chloe disappeared in a flash of light. Moments later, a large raven winged its way out of the Forest.

The Forest grew unnaturally silent. The only sound to be heard was a frightened half-laugh, half-sigh, as Luna Lovegood slumped against a tree, Harry's Invisibility Cloak still clutched around her shoulders. All thoughts of hunting for the rare Purple-Footed Melustrus were forgotten.

--0—

"Luna, you are completely insane."

"Harry, please believe me!"

"_Do you realize what you're saying?"_

"Harry, I'm telling the truth! I saw it happen, I swear by my mother!"

Harry gripped Luna's thin shoulders painfully hard, backing her into an empty classroom. "Luna," he said quietly, "I know Chloe. She would never harm a fly! You have either been deceived, or you have some sort of agenda against her. I am inclined to believe the latter."

"Harry, please!" Luna pleaded, "Chloe is a Death Eater, there's no denying it!'

At that point, Harry seemed to snap. "_Get. Out. Of. My. Sight," _he enunciated clearly, his soft tone only enhancing the fury in his tone.

Luna fled to her rooms. Her face twisted with grief as she mouthed her mother's lullaby once more. But Luna did not cry. No, not one single tear was shed.

Luna Lovegood had not cried for the last ten years.

--0--

Luna was anticipating this ball like she had done for no other. Today she would prove herself and hopefully prevent Harry from any misfortunes that Chloe planned to cause him.

Harry hadn't believed her, but she wasn't surprised. It was just another disappointment that, however, didn't prevent her feelings from being hurt by it. She didn't have many friends, mostly due to the fact that, for a reason unknown to her, some thought her to be odd. But she didn't think anything she did was particularly strange or paranormal as her dorm mates assumed she was.

She took out her silvery-blue dress robes and her fanciest Butterbeer cap necklace and laid it out on her bed; her usual knee-length dragon hide boots had been shined and laid out as well.

She was retrieving her earring from her treasure chest when her father's owl, Heracles, swooped through the window, narrowly missing her head, clumsily landing on her bedpost. His puffy brown feathers were ruffled, and a paper-wrapped parcel was attached to his leg.

"Come now Heracles, what have you got there?" she asked him, tentatively approaching the flustered bird and petting him head. "Poor thing, traveling so late..."

She carefully untied the package from his leg, and Heracles immediately flew away; somewhat affronted that she hadn't thought he was up to the job. Sighing, she opened the parcel and to her surprise, soft, velvety-gray material shone gently from the wrappings. .

'_**Luna, your mother would have wanted you to have these...**_

_**Fondly,**_

_**Your father' **_

They were her mother's old dress robes! Luna hadn't seen them since she was seven years old. She'd always thought that her father had given them away. But there they were, shimmering at her. The soft gray satin slid smoothly between her fingers as she clutched the robes in shock. Her lip trembled as locked-away memories of her mother spilled into her mind. But she hadn't the heart to send them back to her father. She would have to wear them.

Luna shook her head. This was no time to stand around and dream when she had such an imperative task at hand! It was time to right some wrongs and she, Luna Magdalena Lovegood, would see to it!

--0--

Flowing forest-green robes swept across the floor, clinched at the waist to emphasize a slim waist and low-cut to reveal ivory-pale skin. Chloe's hair was up in a complicated knot at the top of her head while the soft, flowing, sleeves were adored with complicated runic patterns in silver filigree. Her glasses had mysteriously disappeared for the evening, and Chloe's large eyes glowed silver.

Blinded by her radiance, Harry Potter remained oblivious to all others, holding her close to his own body as they slowly waltzed around the Hall. The velvet black robes that he now wore were bit stuff and uncomfortable, and the collar chafed his neck quite horribly, but Chloe had insisted that he wear them.

'_Luna would have probably dismissed the subject of robes completely,'_ Harry thought wistfully, '_Perhaps I was a little too harsh on her..."_

But she had crossed the line. He'd always known that Luna was a bit odd and sometimes quite barmy, but to accuse Chloe, his sweet, adorable, Chloe, of such atrocious things...

It was blasphemous!

--0--

It was quiet as Luna entered the Great Hall; her arm entwined with Neville Longbottom's. They had decided to come as friends, since the object of Neville's affection, Ginny Weasley, was still dating Dean Thomas. Neville hadn't really against the darkly handsome 6th Year. Just as Luna hadn't stood a chance against Chloe Louise.

She had never felt bitter or jealous before, and it wasn't pleasant. Nor was knowing that the object of her unrequited passions was in love with a Death Eater. Chloe would never harm Harry as long as Luna Lovegood was around. No, Chloe's evil would soon be revealed to the world!

She smiled comfortingly at Neville as he looked longingly at Ginny, her hand seeking its way into her pocket, feeling for the little vial of liquid that was located there.

Ah, the wonders of the Aduro Exuviae potion. Her father had taught her how to brew it last year. Specifically designed to disintegrate clothes in a manner of seconds, it was normally used by healers to quickly access a victim's wounds. When applied to the sleeve of a robe, the arm would be instantly bared, revealing...whatever was hidden there.

It had taken her a full night to brew the potion, painstakingly assembling the ingredients and making sure that everything was _just _right. She did not intend to waste it.

Slowly Luna made her way towards the dancing couple, their bodies pulled so closely together that even a ray of light couldn't pass between them. Involuntarily, her heartstrings twinged painfully.

With an impatient grunt, Luna forced her mind back to the task at hand. Harry's _life_ was in danger!

With practiced ease, Luna slipped the potion into her own drink and wandered by the happy couple. She carefully maneuvered herself into position, right in front of them. "Oh, dear!" Luna cried as she slammed into Chloe and 'accidentally' sloshed her juice all over Chloe's left arm. After all who would put it past Loony Lovegood to be clumsy?

Chloe screamed shrilly as the potion rapidly ate through her lovely robes. In no time at all, her reddened arm exposed to all.

A shocked silence descended upon the Hall.

"Look, Harry!" Luna cried grabbing Chloe and thrusting her before him. Then, Luna gasped in shock. The Dark Mark wasn't there. The only thing visible was Chloe's bare arm, rapidly turning lime green.

"_You_!" Harry roared, snapping out of his shock.

Bowing her head, Luna refused to meet his eye. Tears gathered in her eyes, but stubbornly refused to fall. "The Mark isn't on her forearm," she replied dreamily.

Harry's face glowed red with fury, "Of course it isn't!" he shouted, "Luna, you have gone too far! Don't you understand the gravity of your accusations?" Harry calmed momentarily, his breathing labored. '_She looks very beautiful in those robes,_' he noted irrelevantly, then angrily dismissed the thought from his mind. His scar was throbbing madly with pain, for reasons that he could not fathom, "Do not come near Chloe again," he said, struggling to maintain control over himself, "Do not come near me again. _Grow up_, Luna Lovegood."

McGonagall pushed herself in front of Luna. "You are in a great deal of trouble, young lady," she said, her voice shaking with barely-controlled rage, "The Headmaster will be expecting you in his rooms, shortly."

Chloe smirked victoriously at Luna. As Harry turned to look at her, she sighed dramatically and fainted dead away. In the ensuing commotion, no one saw the corner of a inky-black skull tattoo appear on her arm, then disappear again with a slight frown from the "unconscious" girl as she was hustled away to the Hospital Wing.

No one, that is, except a thin girl clad in gray, kneeling dejectedly among crumpled hearts and colorful streamers littered on the floor.

**End of Chapter Three**

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**A/N: Please review, and tell us what you think!**

-----------------------------

**Notes to Our Readers! (14 reviews! Wow!)**

**------------------------------**

**Flower Powerer-** Yes, she _is _a demon, isn't she? That's why we love to hate her!

**Charles Weatherby-** Heh. _She's extremely _forceful. We actually wanted to make Chloe into a completely blatant Mary-Sue (you know, big boobs, long golden hair, the works), but this story is first and foremost a romance/action/adventure, not a parody. Update your stories!

**James Ray Edwards-** Well, you see, Chloe is a wee bit unbalanced. Plus, she's got an ego the size of North America, and is unused to competition. Therefore, when she saw Luna as a threat to her, her first instincts were "kill, kill, kill!" then think about safety precautions later. Plus, she assumed (rightly) that Harry would be so much in lust with her that he wouldn't believe Luna, anyways. Sorry for our garbled explanation.

**Bookie1-** Oui, c'est très intéressant, n'est-ce pas? Thanks for reading!

**oOoLintuoOo-** Thanks!

**Carly-** Okay, we updated! We updated! (Hides)

**Brittney-** Don't worry, we like this story too much to abandon it!

**Celestial Night-** Of course it wouldn't be too much to ask! It's what guilts us into updating! We're delighted that you liked it!

**Lara Potter-** You'll see...; )

**Dragon Tears Wing-** Believe me, we've known people like Chloe. They are that bad. Thanks for reading!

**JennyRoseAngel-** This chapter is dedicated to you! Please keep reading! And we really don't think that straight out Luna/Harry is boring...but yes, it is hard to write. But we're glad that you like the story!

**Lindsey-31-** Thank you! Please keep reading!

**Winky-wink-** Wow, we didn't think that anyone would like this story _that _much! But thanks; we're extremely flattered!

**FluffieGirlie-** So JRA is forcing you to read this, huh? Tsk tsk. But we're glad that you liked it! Keep reading!


	4. Expugno Animiae

**A/N: **Well, we're not even going to try and excuse this chapter's lateness. We'd like to extend an apology to our readers for the long delay, as well as the sheer badness of this chapter. Our writing skills, if we ever had them, are quite rusty. Thank you all, and a special thanks to all of you who still read this.

**Disclaimer:** JK owns all the characters, and we don't. Pity. Also, we are in no way making a profit on this story.

**Chapter Four: Expugno Animiae**

The next morning, Luna slowly traipsed to the Headmaster's office, traveling as slowly as she dared. _"Well, that didn't go as planned," _she thought inanely, her feet dragging noisily over the flagstones.

Finally coming to a halt in front of his quarters, she stared perplexedly at the scowling gargoyle. After waiting for a few minutes with no results, she sighed and cleared his throat pointedly. "My good sir," she began, directly addressing the ugly creature, "I request permission to enter the noble rooms within-"

Suddenly, the gargoyle came alive and shifted sideways, revealing a familiar figure within. Albus Dumbledore smiled benignly at Luna. "I am not so sure that he will respond to such words, as kind as they are," he told her, blue eyes twinkling merrily, "The password for this week is 'Butterfinger'- Professor Lupin sent me some muggle candy yesterday, and it's quite delicious, if I do say so myself. You know, it's remarkable what muggles create even without the use of magic…"

He guided Luna up the winding staircase and into his office, continuing his rambling while looking at her critically through the corner of his eye.

The girl's straggly locks seemed even more unkempt than usual, and she looked as though she hadn't slept for a fortnight.

Dumbledore seated himself at his desk, and gestured to a nearby chair. Luna sat down quietly, a cold knot of apprehension twisting unpleasantly in her stomach.

"Miss Lovegood," he began, still kindly despite the situation, "There have been some serious charges made against you by Mr. Potter and Miss Cunningham. Professor McGonagall also stands by their story. If their account proves to be true…" He paused, letting the words sink in. "You will face indefinite suspension and possible expulsion from this institute."

Luna paled. Her father would never let her work with her at the Quibbler if she didn't get a proper education!

"However," Dumbledore continued, "I would nevertheless like to hear your version of these goings-on."

Luna swallowed heavily. Faltering for a moment- She had never been good with words- she started her tale.

Soon, words came pouring easily out of her mouth as she described her search for the Gwyllion, Chloe's threat, the sighting of the Dark Mark on Chloe's body, the suspicious figures she had seen in the Forbidden Forest, her distress at the great risk Harry was taking by allowing himself to associate with her so blindly.

"She's up to no good," she informed him unnecessarily.

Dumbledore regarded her silently long after she came to a stuttering halt, all merriment gone from his level gaze.

He thought back to a time when he first saw Chloe Cunningham, clinging to her father's arm. Virgil Cunningham was a wealthy pureblood and the Premier Wizard of Sanctuary, Gringotts' rival. He had been suspected of Dark activities and tried during Crouch's Ministry purges, only to be acquitted soon after by the Minister of Magic himself.

He remembered Chloe gazing haughtily through demurely lowered lashes at the Wizengamot in the courtroom. She was the very model of an upper-class young witch, hands meekly folded in her lap, gleaming hair and robes perfectly arranged, an expression of polite disinterest on her face.

Only the slight, almost unnoticeable glint in her eyes had suggested that there was something unusual about Chloe; something feral and macabre and wickedly mad. She had been eleven years of age, then.

Dumbledore sighed, and closed his eyes momentarily before turning toward Luna once again. "Miss Lovegood," he said slowly and deliberately, "Madame Pomfrey, one of the most experienced mediwitches alive, has already examined Chloe for traces of malicious magic. She has found no magical marks of any kind."

Luna felt her veins turning to ice within her.

"Nor has Hagrid reported any breach of security in the Forbidden Forest, and even Miss Cunningham's threat could have merely been the actions of a lovesick and very territorial young girl," His visage hardened slightly. "Have you any other evidence to present?"

Slowly, Luna shook her head.

"Nevertheless, I believe you," he said quietly, making Luna look up with sudden hope. "However, without any physical evidence to support your rather extraordinary tale, I cannot take any action. Her record at Hogwarts is quite clean, and her father will not take the news of a baseless investigation kindly, to say the least."

"Is there truly nothing you can do, sir?" Luna asked, agitatedly running a hand through her limp hair.

"There isn't," Dumbledore replied gently, "Still, rest assured that Miss Cunningham will be watched closely from now on."

Resigned, Luna stood up to leave.

"Oh, and Miss Lovegood?" the Headmaster added as she reached the door, "I'm afraid that your punishment must stand. You will be serving detention with Professor McGonagall every evening for the next two weeks."

0.0.0

The punishment barely registering in her mind, Luna rushed off to the Hospital Wing.

When she arrived, she felt her heartstrings tug with an emotion unknown to her at the sight of Harry's tousled black head bent over Chloe's (apparently) sleeping form. She sighed, willing herself to be strong.

Squaring her thin shoulders, she moved towards them, making as little noise as possible. Her hand was halfway toward his shoulder when he abruptly turned his head and noticed her presence.

"Luna!" he half snarled, half gasped; His wide green eyes shining with incredulity and a good deal of anger.

Luna's automatic defense died in her throat upon seeing his face. Hermione had had reason to worry about him. There were bags under his eyes, making him look as though he hadn't slept for a long time (which, she noted, he probably hadn't). His skin was a pasty shade of white, his features more waif-like than ever.

Chloe grinned in her false sleep, and Luna found herself opening and closing her mouth as she desperately she tried to say something intelligent and decisive to make Harry understand.

"You look like death!" she blurted, biting her lip in frustration.

Harry glared increased in intensity by a thousandfold, and she hastily saw herself to the door. She'd get her chance soon… hopefully.

0.0.0

_The dim lighting within the Astronomy Tower of Hogwarts cast the shadow of a young female clearly upon a mildewed wall. Longhaired and curvaceous, the girl carefully locked the door, ensured that her magical wards and Untraceable charms were still in place, and held her wand up to her face. _

_Steadily, her features began to shift and reconfigure. Her curling hair became lank and dark, her curves flattened, and her doll-like features slowly morphed into a face that, while not ugly, was completely non-descript. If anyone at Hogwarts had seen her then, she would have been completely unrecognizable, devoid as she was of the advanced glamour charm that had given her beauty. But those that didn't know her… knew her only as Chloe Louise Cunningham, mild-mannered model student and daughter. _

_Glancing around once more, she produced a glowing blue orb from her pocket. The orb, hardly the size of her palm, floated up from her hands and hovered in front of her eyes, growing in size until it completely filled her vision. _

_Within the floating crystal sphere a face appeared. Huge red eyes bore into her, searching and imposing. She bowed low before them._

" _Master," she whispered, an ecstatic smile on her lips._

"_My patience grows short, Cunningham," the face snapped impatiently, snake-like nostrils flaring._

"_Everything is going according to plan, my Lord. You will have the boy within a month's time-" she cried, composure quickly crumbling as she groveled before the grotesque face trapped in the shining orb. ._

"_The Dark Lord does not wait, Cunningham," the thing answered silkily, "I want the boy delivered to me within the end of this week."_

"_But master…"_

"_Failure will not be tolerated," the thing hissed, smiling thinly at the look of horror and anxiety upon her face. _

_0.0.0_

A few days later, Luna stared distractedly into space as she poured milk and syrup onto her eggs. She had watched Harry and Chloe carefully, even obsessively, for some time. No one noticed the Ravenclaw's new fixation- Loony Lovegood was always obsessed with something or another. Besides, who would waste their time with Loony and that silly magazine of hers?

"_Sometimes_," she thought, "_It is convenient to be invisible_._" _During her hours of painstaking observation, Luna had noticed many things about Harry Potter, which (she admitted to herself with a faint blush) had nothing to do with her objective.

Such as the particular way he ate, with the fork in his right hand instead of his left, the kind of sweets he preferred and the ones he avoided; the effortless way he moved in the skies during Quidditch…

She shook her head, dismissing such foolish thoughts from her mind and focused on the task at hand. She'd noticed that there seemed to be a kind of inner struggle within Harry that was taking a severe toll upon him. His body spoke of fatigue; he seemed tired, and ate little.

She had passed him once in the halls and noticed that his eyes, too, were glazed, as though he was in a constant state of half-consciousness.

Steeling her nerves, she resolved to get a closer look at him that evening.

After her brutal detention (McGonagall had made her clean the cages of her various magical creatures. Luna had acquired an astonishing amount of bruises, burns, and bites in the course of two hours), she managed to find Harry in the library, poring through the Quidditch section. Casually perusing the shelf before her, she wandered toward him. When she judged herself to be close enough, she stumbled directly into him. Books and parchments scattered all over the floor as Luna's slim body was strewn across Harry's emaciated frame.

Ignoring his shouts, she carefully studied his face, noting that there was a faint golden sheen surrounding his slightly dilated pupils. What she hadn't expected though, was for her face to grow hot, and her breath to hitch at his touch.

Harry angrily made a move to roughly push her off, but found that he was too weak and resolved to tell her off instead. He opened his mouth to growl something highly offensive. Instead, all that came out was a hoarse whisper. "Luna…"

"Harry?" she whispered uncertainly.

For a split second, the sheen disappeared and a look of confusion came onto his face. However, the strangeness reappeared an instant later and he managed to shove her aside.

"Watch where you're going, Lovegood!" he spat, gathering his things and stalking past her.

Slightly shaken, Luna gathered her books in her arms and uneasily watched him go. Then, she started searching the shelves in earnest.

0.0.0

After several hours of searching, she gave up her inhibitions and searched in the Restricted Section- Firenze had given her a temporary pass during her project on the origins of and charms affecting magical constellations. In a battered and grimy book called Arcomancy: The Forbidden Art, Luna finally found what she was looking for:

**_Expugno Animiae_ **

**Other Names: **"Heart in Chains", "Love's Captor"

**Classification:** Forbidden Charm Class A

**History:** The curse was discovered in the early 1400s by Count Vizernkoff to capture the heart of his beloved lady, Ambellina, who did not return his affections. Ambellina's lover Sir Ulrich Frye was responsible for the creation of the counter-curse. However, the counter-course also caused Ambellina's demise, since it was administered after the curse's effects had become permanent. The Wizard's Council banned the curse soon afterwards. However, that did not prevent the spell from being developed and refined further by various Dark wizards and witches, as well as several "alchemist" wizards living among muggles.

**Uses: **If correctly cast, the spell will coerce its victim into believing that s/he is in love with the caster. If the curse is in effect for more than a moon's full cycle, the effects will become permanent, and could possibly be fatal for the victim.

**Signs of the Curse: **A person under the influence of this charm will attempt a struggle against it, which will result in lack of appetite, fatigue, insomnia, and dilation of the pupils. The distinguishing mark of this spell is normally a faint yellowish or golden sheen surrounding the eyes.

_**-**_

Luna stared at the page grimly before slamming it shut and slipping it in her bag. She couldn't do this alone.

She ran to the Gryffindor Tower, and banged ceaselessly on a furious Fat Lady before Hermione opened the portrait hole, yawning, with Ron looking blearily over shoulder. Apparently, they had been having a late-night study session (Although that didn't quite explain their rather rumpled state). Without bothering to explain, she shoved the book into Hermione's hands and marched into the common room.

"Luna, what is going on here?" Ron cried, glaring at her angrily, "Have you gone completely mad?"

Luna hesitated and muttered something vague about the eyes of Hippogriffs before launching onto her story.

After she finished, Hermione eyed her critically, searching for the lie in her words. Finding none, she nodded. "There seemed to be something suspicious about that girl," she said thoughtfully, "She never seemed quite real to me_… _and I've never seen Harry so unhealthily obsessed before. He looks like… like _hell_."

Ron still looked unconvinced. "How do we know that she isn't simply making this up?"

"If Dumbledore believes her, then we will as well," Hermione said firmly.

Luna beamed tiredly at the both of them, glad that she had at least a few people on her side. She was used to being ignored, but the complete ostracism from the students body that she had faced after her "brutal treatment" of the popular Chloe was becoming too much, even for her.

Ron looked at her dubiously, but quieted after Hermione gave him a pointed look.

Hermione walked to her cluttered table and pulled out a lunar chart. Consulting it for a few moments, she gasped. "We don't have much time! We need to perform the counter-curse immediately!"

The girls began working feverishly on the hand movements and pronunciation required to perform the charm, while Ron ran to his dorm room to find Harry, who had claimed illness and gone to bed early.

Several minutes later, Ron rushed back down, freckles standing out clearly on his milk-white face.

"Harry's gone."

**End of Chapter Four**

**A/N: **Not our best work, we know. But please give us some feedback. We'd really like to improve.

**Review Responses**

**Celestial Night:** We're glad that we could make your birthday a little better. Happy (extremely belated) birthday from both of us.

**Brittney:** Well, you know why now, yes? ;)

**LadyFox:** Well, we didn't update all that soon, did we? Thank you, and apologies.

**CS June: **Thank you!

**Jennyroseangel:** Glad you liked! And sorry for the lateness… life just got in the way.

**Hollytimmons:** Chloe _is_ evil, isn't she? But Sarah just can't help but love her in her evil-ness. She's such a bitch.

**Petites Sorci: **Merci! Harry aime Luna, sans doûte. Nous esperons que _tu_ liras cette chapitre et l'aimeras aussi. ;)

**Miss Piratess: **Wow, the detailed reviews were wonderful. And this technically isn't a secret identity- It's me, Sarah, collaborating with another friend. I know Chloe gives off a very strong stench of Mary-Sue at first, but she really is an evil whore, as you know. Thanks again!

**Lara Potter: **No worries, we do the same thing. ;) Thanks!

**P0pptartt:** Thanks!

**Mtm123:** Sorry, I guess we didn't hurry as much as you'd have liked. Thanks, though!

**Winky-wink:** Wow, thank you!

**Tuathil:** No problem. We're not exactly the best writers ourselves, and you have improved a lot. Thanks!


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